Saturday was probably the most exciting game at Jordan-Hare Stadium since the 2007 Iron Bowl victory.
That said, Auburn's tackling was as sloppy as Pat Dye Field looked during the 50-minute quagmire.
West Virginia's Jarrett Brown and Noel Devine almost never got tackled on the first hit.
This was made evident by WVU's 509 yards of total offense (207 rushing, 302 passing).
Devine's three rushing touchdowns were also due to poor tackling.
His 71-yard touchdown run was achieved after breaking three tackles. The other two touchdowns came on short runs that ended with the 5-foot-8 running back carrying a defender across the goal line.
Brown used his feet to get away from the Auburn defenders during pass plays.
There were too many times when a defensive lineman had the quarterback for a sack, but he would squirt out and have more time to complete a pass.
On a positive note, Auburn created a plethora of turnovers.
The team had been wanting to cause more turnovers and came through with five interceptions and a fumble recovery.
It has been five years since the Tigers' defense had five interceptions, a feat performed by the undefeated team of 2004 against Tennessee.
Cornerback Nieko Thorpe's interception in the second quarter was thrilling. He ran it back basically from the goal line.
Junior linebacker Josh Bynes threw a nasty pancake block during the return on WVU offensive lineman Eric Jobe.
The Tigers' turnovers led to 24 points.
Saturday marked the first time this season the Tigers' offense failed to have a back rush for 100 yards, and the first time that Auburn had more passing yards than rushing yards.
WVU gets a lot of the credit for that; they have had a stout rush defense this season.
Facing the adversity of not having a run game showed fans what kind of team Auburn has.
Senior quarterback Chris Todd and sophomore wide receiver Darvin Adams took that adversity head on.
Todd put the offense on his shoulders and threw the ball 31 times, completing 16 of those passes and throwing one interception.
Adams had a career high three touchdown receptions.
One of the receptions seemed to catch the Marietta, Ga., native completely by surprise when it landed in his hands, which is a testament to where Todd's game is right now.
The offensive line did not play their best game of the season.
Some false start penalties and two sacks were good enough to win Saturday, but won't cut it against LSU, Ole Miss or Alabama.
Only allowing two sacks over the course of three games, however, is an amazing statistic.
The special teams units still have the most work to do.
Kickoff coverage actually got worse Saturday compared to the Mississippi State game. WVU's average starting position was the 32-yard line, four yards better than the Bulldogs' average.
Kickoff return wasn't much better. Auburn's average starting field position was the 27- yard line.
This week's game against Ball State University should be a tune up for the Tennessee game.
Ball State has lost to North Texas, New Hampshire and Army this season.
The Cardinals also lost to Tulsa in the 2009 GMAC Bowl last season 45-13. The Tulsa Golden Hurricanes' offense, coached by current Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malhzan, put up 439 rushing yards on the Cardinals.
Auburn should at least match that mark.
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